Safety razor



F. P. LINZMEYER ET AL.

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Feb. 4.' 1954 FIG.

FIG Z Ishfm 'INvENToR FLoYo P. Lmznven #EDWARD L. PATE Fla. 5

ATroRNEY .lullin Il,

Fill- .fi il Patented Oct. 16, 1956 SAFETY RAZOR Floyd P. Linzmeyer and Edward L. Patera, Des Moines, Iowa Application February 4, 1954, Serial No. 408,254

8 Claims. (Cl. Sil-60.5)

Our invention is an improved form of safety razor or razor blade holder that incorporates a spring to hold .the head in a closed or razor blade clamping position. A button is provided at the end of the handle which ,is connected to the linkage that moves the head members of the razor. By pushing this button, the head can be opened instantly to remove a dulled blade and to insert a sharp one. When the button is released, the head is automatically closed by the tension of the spring. The invention resides in part in the particular structure for incorporating the spring into the 4razor which makes the unit very acceptable from a manufacturing point of View. VThe objects of our invention are to provide a safety razor that:

l. Is more easily opened to change blades than are any of the razors known to us.

2. ls economical to manufacture.

3. ls morefconsistent in the pressure applied to blades inserted into the razor than are manually tightened safety razors.

4. ,Is constructed to minimize Afouling of the razor mechanism by soap, whiskers and hard water crystals or vother foreign matter generated in the shaving process. While the foregoing are the principal objects of this in- Vention, it is our intention to include as objects of this :invention any object which, to one skilled in the art, may be apparent after he has read this specification and claims Iand has examined the accompanying drawings which are vbriefly described as follows:

Fig. l is a side elevation view of ,our safety razor.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation view of your safety razor.

Fig, 3 is a vertical sectional View of our safety razor taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View Vof our safety razor .taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 but with the .head elements shown in the open position.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the head of our razor.

Fig. 6 is a detail in vertical section of a modified form of the push button .of our razor.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged isometric, View of the push l.button of the modified form shown Vin Fig. 6 and shown secured .to a fragment of the rod.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of a .fragment of `the handle of the modied form of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, We have used the number 10 to designate one of the two head elements or members and the number 12 to designate .the other of these two head elements. These head elements are .pivotally secured to the spider which is composed of the main cross .member 14 and the two side members 16 and 18. The numbers and 22 indicate the pins or bosses that secure the head lmembers 10 and 12 respectively to the side members 16 and 18 of the spider. These pins .may be yformed integrally with the side members 16 and 18 if desired. Asshown in Figs. ,l and 2 the head members are provided with the tongues or bosses 24 and 26 which are secured to the head elements 10 .and 12 respectively. These tongues engage the blade supporting member or table 28 whenever the spider is moved up and the head sections or elements 10 and 12 are thrown open as a result. Engagement of the arms 30 and 32 for the head elements 10 and 12 respectively by the blade table 28 causes the head elements to close as shown in Figs. l and 2 when the spider is forced down by the spring. The blade table 28 is secured to a hollow stem 34 by having a reduced portion 36 extending through a hole in the table until a shoulder 38 engages the bottom of the table and then having the end of the stem peened or riveted over the top 0f the table 28 as shown in Figs. 3 and -4 at 40. A shaft 42 is secured to the main cross member 14 of the spider and extends down from the spider through the stem to a lower end 44 that is provided with a threaded well. The structure thus far described is a known structure and is not original with us. lt is described mainly for the purpose of making this disclosure self-contained and to provide the back-ground for the explanation of the structure which we have invented and that is particularly valuable in combination with the above described mechanism. We turn now to a detailed description of that structure which we consider inventive as used in razors and in combination with the previously described head structure.

The number 46 designates a hollow handle element that is press litted and frictionally held on the reduced portion 48 or the stem 34. A shoulder 50 is formed in the hollow handle in any suitable manner as by crimping or spinning which provides an abutment against which the upper end of spring cartridge case 52 may exert a ,thrust without moving up farther in the handle than it is `Shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The case has reduced openings at ,is upper and lower ends designated 54 and 56 respectively. A rod 58 having a threaded upper end 6i) is slidably arranged within the cartridge case. On the rod is formed a shoulder 62 which is larger in diameter than the opening in the cartridge case end 56 but smaller ythan the inside of the case itself. A resilient element such as spring 64 is positioned inside the cartridge case .and interposed between the end of the cartridge and the shoulder .62 of the rod 58. The resilient member yield- -ingly attempts to lengthen itself at all times and, therefore, tends to force the rod 58 .down in the handle 46 constantly. A secondcrimping or spinning may be made in handle 46 below the cartridge case as at 66 if desired. The lower end of the rod 58 is broadened to provide a surface that user of our razor can push against without experiencing discomfort. We have shown a separate button 68 to illustrate how this can be accomplished economically and well. The button slidably ts inside the handle 46 so that whiskers, soap, and other matter that the razor will encounter in the course of shaving will be shed on the outside of the button and the handle and not find easy access to the working parts of `the spring assembly. The rod and the shaft may be joined in any `suitable manner, and the threaded upper end of rod 5S and the well in shaft 42 provide an easy and practical method of doing this.

The use of my safety razor is very simple in that one desiring to remove a dulled blade and insert a new blade merely pushes on the button 68 which forces the rod 58 up, compressing spring 64, and moving the shaft 42 up. Since the shaft is secured to the spider assembly via the element 14, the spider is moved up and the head elements or members 10 and 12 are thrown to the open position shown in Fig. 4. The leverage obtained by having the bosses 24 and 26 strike the blade table 2S opens the head. The dulled blade may then be removed easily with the head open, .and -a new blade may be inserted ,into therazor. `Releasingpressure on .the button 68 per- ;mits .the spring `64 to force the rod, shaft and spider down causing the head members to close and secure the blade in the razor ready for use. To some, and this may include even those skilled in the art, it may appear unlikely that a spring of such a strength that it can be compressed to release a dulled razor as described above would have the necessary tension to hold the head elements in a clamped position that would secure the blade with the force necessary for satisfactory shaving. We have discovered, however, that a spring that can be cornpressed easily will also hold the blade in a manner that is entirely acceptable. A razor constructed after the teachings of this application has been used by several men and declared to be entirely satisfactory in this respect.

The modified form of the push button structure shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is provided to illustrate a very simple and satisfactory means of locking the razor head in an open position. The button in the modified form is designated 70 and is provided with a well 72. A shaft designated 74 is provided with a head 76 that slidably and rotatably ts within the well 72. The collar 78 is placed on the shaft or rod 74 before the head 76 is formed on it, and the collar is a press tit within the top of well 72. The button 70 is, therefore, rotatably secured to the end of the shaft 74. A T-slot 80 is formed in the button 70 and it slides on and embraces the boss or pin 82 formed in the handle member 84. The shaft 74 is comparable the rod 58, of course, and the handle 84 is the counter-part of handle 46. When the spring (not shown) in the handle 84 is compressed to actuate the razor to the open position, the T-slot 8G is moved so that the cross bar of the T-slot engages the boss. By rotating the button 70 in either direction, the boss 82 engages one of the cross positions of the T-slot 80 and resists the normal return sliding movement of the button. The razor head will then be locked open and permit the user to change blades in a more relaxed and leisurely fashion than would the structure permit if the lock were missing. This structure is shown merely as a modified form of the invention, however, because the rapidity of the action of the preferred form is one of its main advantages. Another advantage of the preferred form is one that is important in getting consistent results from a razor. Since the pressure that clamps the blade is exerted by the spring rather than by human adjustment, the tension applied is very uniform; much more so than any human adjustment is apt to be. Since the button in the razor handle is at the bottom end of and slides up into the handle opening, it is unlikely that any foreign matter will get into the razor at this point to foul the action.

The economy of manufacture of the disclosed invention derives from its particular structure. It is obvious that spring and rod can be preassembled into the cartridge unit and assembled onto the head complete with stem which is an already known component in the razor art. This entire assembly can then be slipped into the handle and the abutment 50 then formed therein so as to place a little tension on the linkage connecting the case 52 to the spider. The spring 64 is pre-tensioned within the case 52, so there is no need to tension this spring. r[he abutment 60 is then spun in to make sure the razor remains assembled. lt is a simple matter to press the button 68 onto the end of rod 58. An alternative procedure would be to secure the cartridge assembly in the handle first, and then assemble the handle to the stern. lt would then be a simple matter to join the rod and the shaft by screwing the former into the latter. There are unlimited different orders of assembly any one of which could be adopted to t the requirements of the particular factory manufacturing the razor. We have listed merely two to show the fact that the use of the cartridge eliminates the necessity for tensioning the spring during the assembly of the various parts into the razor which accounts for the ease of manufacturing this unit. It is this ease of assembly that results from the use of these simple components which makes us feel that this razor can be manufactured very inexpensively. We are sure that it can be manufactured less expensively than a large number of razors with which we are familiar. These known razors include manually actuated ones and ones in which a spring acts to open the razor, perhaps, or ones in which a spring must be placed under tension as the parts are assembled. Since the spring 64 is the real connection between the spider and the handle, manufacturing tolerances as far as the length of the rod or the shaft and the like are not very critical. It is only necessary to make sure that the rod and the shaft are not too long when they are assembled. It is clear that our new structure will not add any problems in the form of manufacturing tolerances. It is our contention, therefore, that the foregoing specification and the accompanying drawings disclose an invention that achieves the objects set out above. Having disclosed our invention, we now distinctly describe and point out particularly our invention.

We claim:

1. In a razor; a spider; a pair of head pieces hingedly secured to said spider; a shaft secured to said spider; a hollow stem slidably embracing said shaft; a blade table secured to said hollow stem; a hollow handle secured to and extending from said hollow stem; a case secured in said hollow handle against movement at least toward said head pieces; said case having openings in each of its ends; a rod slidably extending through the openings in said case; a shoulder on said rod within said case; said shoulder being smaller than the inside of said case and larger than the openings in said case; a resilient member within said case and interposed between said shoulder and the end of said case nearer to said stem; and means for securing said rod to said shaft.

2. The razor of claim 1 in which said case is secured in said hollow handle against movement toward said head pieces by a means consisting entirely of a portion of said hollow handle that has been forced in toward its longitudinal center.

3. In a razor; a spider; a pair of head pieces hingedly secured to said spider; a shaft secured to said spider; a hollow stem slidably embracing said shaft; a blade table secured to said hollow stem; a hollow handle secured to and extending from said hollow stern; a case secured in said hollow handle against movement at least toward said head pieces; said case having openings in each of its ends; a rod slidably extending through the opennigs in said case; a shoulder on said rod within said case; said shoulder being smaller than the inside of said case and larger than the openings in said case; a resilient member within said case and interposed between said shoulder and the end of said case nearer to said stem; means for securing said rod to said shaft; a push button having a T-slot therein pivotally secured to said rod and slidable within said hollow handle; and a pin secured to and extending inwardly from said hollow handle adjacent to said push button and engaging said T-slot; said push button extending outside said hollow handle.

4. In a razor operating mechanism; a hollow handle; a case within said handle; said case having openings in each of its ends; a rod slidably positioned within said case; a shoulder formed on said rod; said shoulder being smaller than the inside diameter of said case and larger than the openings in the ends of said case; a resilient means within said case and interposed between and bearing on said shoulder on said rod and one end of said case; a means formed in said hollow handle for engaging the end of said case against which said resilient means bears; and means for securing said rod to the moving parts of a safety razor.

5. The razor operating mechanism of claim 4 in which said means for limiting movement of said case within said hollow handle consists of a portion of said hollow handle that has been forced in toward the longitudinal center of said hollow handle.

6. The razor operating mechanism of claim 4 in which www a push button is secured to the end of said rod that is not adapted to being secured to the working parts of a razor; said push button slidably fitting within said hollow handle; said push button having a T-slot therein; a pin secured to said hollow handle adjacent to said push button and extending into the T-slot of said push button; said push button being pivotally secured to said rod.

7. The razor operating mechanism of claim 4 in which said resilient means is a spring embracing said rod; and the said means for limiting movement of said case within said hollow handle consists of a portion of said hollow handle that has been forced in toward the longitudinal center of said hollow handle.

8. In a razor operating mechanism; a hollow handle; a case within said hollow handle; said case having open ings in each of its ends; a rod slidably positioned within said case; a shoulder formed on said rod; said shoulder being smaller than the inside diameter of said case and larger than the openings in the ends of said case; a resilient means within said case and interposed between and bearing on said shoulder-on said rod and one end of said case; a means formed in said hollow handle for engaging the end of said case against which said resilient means bears; means for securing said rod to the moving parts of a safety razor; a push button having a T-slot therein pivotally secured to said rod and slidable within said hollow handle; and a pin secured to and extending inwardly from said hollow handle adjacent to said push button and engaging said T-slot; said push button extending outside said hollow handle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,043,124 Smith et al. June 2, 1936 2,413,877 Lomax Jan. 7, 1947 2,616,171 Testi Nov. 4, 1952 

